Catalog Craig Paperman: That takes too long, and it's hard work. I asked for something easy and for something that works immediately. Are you even listening to me?

Kevin: Why not work with Custora and personalize your website? Your sales could increase by between 15% and 50% overnight?

Catalog Craig Paperman: I read in a trade journal that a valid omnichannel strategy requires the same items and the same prices in all channels to all customers. Personalization violates a valid omnichannel strategy. Now give me something that works immediately and costs nothing and is part of a valid omnichannel strategy.

Kevin: How about creating an ad that you put on YouTube? Put the ad right on top of the video genius of your competition? You can literally steal their traffic.

Catalog Craig Paperman: I still have to create an ad. That's hard work. I don't want to do any work at all. Don't you get it? I'm 55. I want to retire in five years. I dug my ditches thirty years ago. I wrote COBOL code that enabled our brand to accept credit cards. That's hard work. I used to go home and watch Alf after a hard day at work, and I would ...

Kevin: Fine, I get it. How about this one? Get a guest curator and just rearrange the stuff you already sell.

Catalog Craig Paperman: It's like talking to a brick wall with you. Don't you get it? I don't want to pay somebody money.

Kevin: Then leverage your own staff. You have creative folks who would love to do this.

Catalog Craig Paperman: Then what? The person becomes "famous" and demands more money?

Kevin: If the person sold merchandise, yes, pay him or her money. They've earned it.

Catalog Craig Paperman: Other employees would get mad. And besides, if we create something, it has to go in the catalog, right?

Kevin: No.

Catalog Craig Paperman: Of course it does. Then we're dealing with six month lead times, so that won't work. It's like you don't think like a cataloger anymore.

Kevin: That's because e-commerce has been around for more than twenty years. I'm a Luddite if I think e-commerce first, given our mobile/social/bots/virtual-reality world, much less think like a cataloger.

Yes, this is exaggerated, and is done for effect. Everybody "writes" stuff these days ... the "change or die" mantras offered by pundits and thought leaders and trade journalists are nice and all, but there's too much of it, and nobody is listening anymore.

So I try this method.

Only you can let me know if it is effective or not. There's an easy way to demonstrate if it is effective ... try different ideas ... try forty ideas, knowing that three will work and thirty-seven will not work.

Kevin Hillstrom

Kevin Hillstrom, President, MineThatData

Kevin is President of MineThatData, a consultancy that helps CEOs understand the complex relationship between Customers, Advertising, Products, Brands, and Channels. Kevin supports a diverse set of clients, including internet startups, thirty million dollar catalog merchants, international brands, and billion dollar multichannel retailers. Kevin is frequently quoted in the mainstream media, including the New York Times, Boston Globe, and Forbes Magazine.

Prior to founding MineThatData, Kevin held various roles at leading multichannel brands, including Vice President of Database Marketing at Nordstrom, Director of Circulation at Eddie Bauer, and Manager of Analytical Services at Lands' End.

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